Rockport, Massachusetts
After three magnificently sunny and warm days, the weather changed overnight.
Just before midnight, a gusty northeast wind began to blow. It was constant throughout the night – you couldn’t hear the waves at all, just the wind snapping the flag out front of the inn. Fresh cool air, straight from the ocean!
The next morning, the wind abated somewhat. The sky was full of slate-colored clouds. Mom and I took our morning walk, buttoned up proper in our windbreakers.
We walked up and down narrow streets and alleyways, admiring the man-made scenery.
First, a little snippet of Rockport history: during the War of 1812, a British warship came into the little harbor. When the townspeople began ringing the church bell as an alarm, the British commander ordered his gunners to aim at the belltower.
They missed the bell, but a cannonball still adorns the tower. A pretty good shot, eh wot?
The Old Cemetery has some very old stones with many a tale to tell
Houses in Rockport are as colorful as flowers;
the large -
- and the not-so-large
And flowers are everywhere, no matter how small the dooryard
Even the apartment buildings are colorful
As we walked to dinner, we passed another artist finding inspiration here ...
... where everything looks like a potential painting
The Ocean! Remember the first time you saw it?
For many here, it provides a hard-won livelihood.
From our table at dinnertime, we watched a woman dancing on the beach.
She was there for at least two hours, moving with slow graceful gestures.
It was as if she was calling the tide in.
Was she crazy? Was she happy? Was she giving thanks?
After our meal, there was time for one more walk that day.
Past the harbor ...
... and up to the Headlands, where small trails lead out to a wide open view.
We said our goodbyes to the ocean.
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